Reason Why 1: Best Practices Because editing involves reviewing and correcting material before publication, it is important to keep up an editor’s knowledge in many areas. Sometimes the author’s reputation rests on the skills and experience of the editor. In Australia, book editors often belong to an editor society or the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd Australia). They have sometimes done a Graduate Certificate in editing and professional publishing or, like myself, gotten the experience through document editing and writing completed over many decades. This is in addition to formal learning through courses. While editors in other countries may have their own set of best practices and education, it is harder to verify these before you hire one.  In addition, there is a difficulty in finding a book editor who can modify some of their rules for your country’s particular…